2005 Citroen C3 Pluriel review from UK and Ireland

Nothing has gone wrong with the car.

I've been motivated to write my first ever review of a car by reading comments on this and other websites regarding the Pluriel and its perceived shortcomings.

Ours is a red 55 plate 1.6 Sensodrive and is used primarily by my wife as a daily runner. We've had it a year, it's done 6000 faultless miles and is parked outside in all weathers.

GOOD POINTS.

1. It has not leaked.

2. There have been no electrical maladies.

3. The 1.6 is not sluggish as suggested elsewhere. The performance is more than a match for the handling.

4. The roof is nowhere near as difficult to remove as is claimed and this summer it has been off more than on even in dear old Albion and that's in the Manchester bit of it. The rain cover has been used only as a precaution against

feathered friends 'dropping in' as it were.

5. The multi-role nature of the car is universally scoffed at, but we really do use all of its versions particularly in respect of trips to the local DIY centre or recycling centre.

6. The interior trim is designed to resist weather and it does and ice cream and sticky soft drinks and dog vomit come to think of it.

7. I'll be the first to mention anywhere that one of the best features of the car is the way the rear windows drop into the bodywork. Sheer art.

8. The level of equipment is very good for the money. More of which later.

9. Sensodrive. On the whole we leave ours in auto and forget about it (until one happens upon a roundabout - please see below). Compared to a Bentley Continental I'm sure the changes are crude, but in normal use the gearbox is fine. Put it in manual and the changes are seamless after a bit of practice with paddles or lever.

CRITICISMS.

Before I'm accused of rose tinted vision there are a few things said elsewhere that I agree with.

1. Sensodrive. The one criticism I have of the system relates to the 2nd gear to first gear change on for example the approach to a roundabout where you have spied a gap into which you wish to dart.

The car seems undecided what to do. If it stays in second drive is sluggish. If it shows on the dash that it has changed into 1st this is sometimes not the case and you are presented with a no-drive situation momentarily which is frankly dangerous, but not as much as when drive is restored with a resounding clonk and a lurch forward that an Olympic sprinter would be proud of.

There is a way around it and that is to override the auto by clicking the left paddle once so that the car is in first when you decide and if you can't remember to do that every now and then then you should question whether you should be on the road at all.

2. Handling. The handling characteristics are often lamented in comparison with other cars of this type. I'm sure Citroen did not intend the Pluriel to be a performance cabriolet in the Mini sense and so comparisons of this nature are unfair. Having said that, drive a Pluriel though bumpy bends in the manner that a Mini is designed to cope with and you will be in trouble. It's tall, short, narrow, heavy and softly suspended. Fine for brisk cruising, but this is not a performance car.

3. Squeak. The driver's seat does not squeak when my wife is driving, but it does when I'm in it and it is very very irritating. Who said fatty?. I'm athletic I'll have you know.

4. Rear legroom. Not good for adults, but OK for ungrateful teenage wretches. Worse however is access to the rear which is always undignified particularly on an uphill incline where the heavy front seats persist in sliding backwards. And the doors are heavy too.

CONCLUSION.

So there it is. Maybe years of owning classic cars, kit cars and motorcycles have toughened me up into accepting more 'character' in my vehicles than the average citizen, but the Pluriel is genuinely good, genuinely distinctive and, OK, genuinely weird if you currently drive a Nissan Micra.

£14,000 is probably reasonable value for the 1.6 given its spec, but at that price I may be less impressed by the product itself. Car price guides reckon you should pay 12 something for one. Very good value when you consider the competition. What did we pay for ours?. Have I not said?. Well, er, OK - this time last year a pre-reg 55 plate (2 week old) Pluriel 1.6 Sensodrive in Passion Red with 6 miles on the clock and spider kit and Pluriel mats thrown in cost me £8400 from a main Citroen dealer. Best vehicle for the least outlay I'd say.

Next mission - to improve the reputation of Alfa 156s. I've got a good one of those too.